


Fissmauge's Finest

by captchaluff



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: A bit of angst here and there but mostly fluff, Also there's a weird f-bomb but I couldn't think of a way to replace it so, Fluff, Gen, Like super fluff, What can I say I love me some angsty alvin, based on my friend's headcanon that alvin's scarf burns at the touch, this is my first official fic so please treat with care and fireproof gloves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 11:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4017538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captchaluff/pseuds/captchaluff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alvin fiddles with his scarf and meets Leia for the first time since the final battle.<br/>Set about 6 months between xillia 1 and 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fissmauge's Finest

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Morgan for giving me this idea you beautiful twisted soul

Alvin’s scarf was his pride, his joy, his personal statement. He had to make sure it was perfectly centered on his neckline, or his entire outfit would be compromised. That’s why Alvin kept his stuffy coat in the first place; because it went with his scarf.

After all, appearances were very important to Alfred Vint Svent.

He still remembers the day he got his scarf, the day his mom coughed and wheezed until the doctor had to ask him to leave. And when he didn’t, the doctor gave him some gald and told him to “buy something nice”, despite the fact that Alvin was almost an adult. So he did, and arrived home to his mother saying “that’s the same thing little Alfred would like”. Alvin didn’t know how to respond to that, so he left to find a job, any job, so he could kill something and stop wanting to cry.

He still remembers how, years later, a soldier nearly tore off the scarf trying to get hold of him, and Alvin almost had to choose between his life and his scarf. Almost being the keyword, as he barely escaped with both. He didn’t want to give his enemies that kind of advantage point again, so he sent it in to be... fixed. No one would ever touch his beloved scarf again.

But that was a part of his past now. Alvin’s fondest memories were of when he got excited over fighting his former allies, Exodus, and for once it wasn’t because he had some twisted lone-wolf never-tied-down-by-friendship outlook on life. For the first time in his life, he couldn’t wait to punch life in the face and say “You see!? I don’t need to let you rule me anymore!” as he stood tall with his. Friends.

That’s what they were. Friends. Alvin was no stranger to the concept, but unlike his mercenary work he had very little experience in the realm of friendship. He didn’t want to screw this up.

He felt a knife touch his back, pulling him out of his memories. “Don’t move,” says a voice, “or your friend here’ll get it.”

Alvin glanced to the side and, sure enough, Yurgen is being held at knifepoint. Alvin sighed. For a strictly-business trip, it looked like there was going to be a fair bit of violence.

“Just drop your weapons and valuables and no one will get hurt.”

Yurgen nodded and raised his arms. Alvin took his gun from its holster and slowly, slowly lowered it to the ground...

But he pointed it up and shot at the last second. The bandit recoiled and clutched his shoulder, blood falling to the ground in red clumps.

Shit. Force of habit made him aim for the heart.

“God-” dammit was what he was trying to say, but he was interrupted by something sharp and painful in his side. The second bandit.

As Alvin stumbled back, his opponent took the opportunity to grab onto his scarf and pull him forward, smiling, confident that he had the upper hand. But he let go almost immediately, screaming and staring at the burnt palms of his hands.

No one could touch Alvin’s scarf.

The two bandits scrambled away, writhing in pain. Alvin let them go, silently hoping that their injuries weren’t too serious. He was tired of all these bodies on his conscience.

“Alvin, are you alright?” Yurgen rushed forward as soon as things looked safe.

Alvin was about to laugh of his injury and down as many apple gels as possible when no one was looking, but he remembered how lying was what sort of fucked him up in the first place.

Yurgen didn’t need an answer, anyways. “You’re bleeding, we need to get you to a doctor. Come on, I’ll help you up. There should be a town near here.”

Alvin got up, reluctantly, painfully, and leaned on Yurgen for support. It wasn’t a sensation he could say he enjoyed, depending on others, but this was something he was probably going to have to get used to.

Alvin woke up in a doctor’s office, minus the sickening hospital smell. He must’ve lost consciousness somewhere along the line.

He looked around and saw a somewhat familiar face watching over him. “So,” said Dr. Mathis, “Come back to blackmail me some more? Or do you just enjoy ruining people’s lives?”

That stung a little, even excluding his aching wound. “Neither. I’m not a dog of Exodus anymore, doctor. I’m here on strictly- nng- business.” Alvin tried to sit up, but the pain in his side proved resilient.

Dr. Mathis sighed. “So I’ve heard. And let me guess, you just happened to get stabbed working for a legitimate business?”

“Yurgen can vouch for me.”

“And why should I trust anything a business partner of yours should have to say?”

“Because he’s a good man, an honest man. Unlike you or me.

Dr. Mathis just scoffed and got up from his seat. “Stay until you think you can walk without bleeding all over my tile. And then get out.”

And with a disturbing finality to his words, Dr. Mathis closed the door behind him

Alvin tried to take those insults with a grain of salt... before failing, hard, and feeling a wave of regret crash into him.

Why... why did he have to lie and cheat his way out of everything? Was there no hope for someone like him? Could... could someone like him really change?

“Alvin!”

Alvin snapped back into reality with a voice, a voice he’d heard countless times on his journey, with that sickeningly sweet lilting quality to it that made you wonder if her voice was always like that or if she had to change it to keep up with her personality.

It was Leia. Of course it was Leia.

“Alvin, are you alright? Were you having a nightmare or something? You look like you’re about to cry...”

He tried his best to regain his composure, back to the filthy mercenary character she knew him as. “Right. Nightmare. Something like that.”

Leia looked at the floor, twiddling her thumbs like she wanted to say something. “What is it?” Alvin asked, a little more annoyed-sounding than he meant. But Leia seemed unfazed, if not a little more confident, and started with

“About what happened after... after Milla died...”

Shit. Alvin should have known this was coming. I mean, they barely talked at all after... well, what happened. Of course she would be mad. Even the Leia that let people walk all over her would be mad at something like that. But Alvin knew that all the guilt in the world couldn’t make it better. The least he could do was look her in the eyes.

“Go ahead, then. I give you full permission to yell at me as much as you want. Hell, punch me a few times, I deserve it.”

Alvin hadn’t actually meant for that last part to come out, but oh well. Leia didn’t seem to notice.

“What? No! That’s not what I...” She faltered, trying to choose the right words. “I meant to say... No, I mean to say that, I forgive you.

Alvin couldn’t believe what he’s hearing. He felt his jaw drop and his brow furrow. Was she for real? “But, I mean,” he spit out, “I shot you. Leia, you almost died!”

“But I didn’t, right?” She laughed. “Besides, we were all going through a lot... Jude, and Elize, and even Rowen was pretty shaken up.”

“That doesn’t excuse anything I did! I lied, remember? I betrayed you more times than I can count for my own- selfish-”

It was getting hard to talk. Alvin braced himself for a slap in the face, or a dismissive sigh, something, anything.

But the next thing Alvin felt was warm arms wrapping around him. “What are you-”

“I know, Alvin. And I forgive you.”

And then there was no more talking. The silence instead was filled with stifled sobs.

* * *

 

“Sorry, I...” Leia sniffled at the now-awkward silence, “I guess I should let you rest-”

Alvin latched onto her arm, uncharacteristic of him and he knew it.

“... Alright then.” And so she stayed, until Alvin felt sleep wash over him again.

* * *

 

“You ready to go, Yurgen?”

Yurgen stared at Alvin. He’d recovered seemingly overnight, and was filled to the brim with a strange enthusiasm, though he tried to hide it.

“Well, well,” he teased, “and why are you in such a good mood?”

Alvin beamed back at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Come on, let’s get going.”

Yurgen couldn’t help but wonder what cold possibly have made Alvin so... so... happy. It was certainly not a bad look for him.

As Yurgen walked towards the seahaven, somehow he knew that there would be someone waiting for them. Well, mainly for Alvin. He didn’t know who he was expecting, but it certainly was not the person who was there.

“H-hey, Alvin, Yurgen.” Leia stood in the middle of the road like her normal, brash self, but her commanding voice faltered, just a bit.

Alvin almost dropped his things. “Leia? What are you up to?”

Leia just smiled. “As daughter of the founder of the best inn in Leronde, it’s my duty to make sure you cross the sea safely.”

Alvin sighed and rubbed his head, making sure to hide his faint smile. If this was her way of seeing him off, she was being way too... Leia-y about it. There was really no other way to describe this.

But Yurgen didn’t miss that smile. He got an idea.

“Actually, Alvin,” he said with a knowing grin, “Why don’t you two go ahead? I want to see if there are any business opportunities here in Leronde.”

Alvin shrugged. “Suit yourself, I guess. You’re the boss.”

Yurgen made a mental note that Alvin didn’t really get what a partnership meant.

* * *

 

“So what are you two even doing in Leronde?”

“Well. I got stabbed, and I didn’t have the luxury of looking for our little honors student.”

Leia laughed, but it sounded forced. “Yeah, he’s busy in Elympios, doing what he does best...”

“Getting mixed up in other people’s business?”

They both laughed.

Alvin had to admit that traveling in a duo instead of a big group had been relaxing. Even fights with monsters seemed less hectic. Was this what it was like to connect with someone?

Leia suddenly let out a sigh of relief. “Oh good, we’re almost to the seahaven. My legs are killing me.”

“You’re just out of shape. I’ve walked at least twice as much in half the time yesterday, and I was fine.”

“...What were you doing over here again?”

“Business. Backwater towns like Leronde tend to be abundant in agriculture.”

“And?”

“And me and Yurgen’s job is to buy that agriculture here and sell it over in Elympios.”

Leia stared at him in disbelief. “You’re telling me that you’re a fruit merchant.”

“What, is there something wrong with that?”

Leia just stared. An uncomfortably long amount of time passed and Alvin began to worry that he had said something wrong. “Um, Leia, did I-”

“Your scarf.”

“... What?”

“Your scarf is off.”

“Oh, uh, sorry?”

But before he could fix it himself, Leia was already about to put her hands all over it.

“Leia, wait-”

“Come on, it’ll only take a-”

She stopped, hands gripped tightly on the knot. Shaking.

“Leia, let go.” She refused, hands trembling.

“Leia, let go!” Alvin pried her away, his gloves like shards of glass on her skin.

“Ah... Ow.” Leia muttered, in a trance. “Owwww. That... that hurt.” She laughed, dry and cracked and hurting.

No one could touch Alvin’s scarf.

Alvin felt himself begin to panic. Leave it to some dumb scarf to ruin everything. “Leia, come on, we need to get you some water.”

“What? I’m fine, see?” She held up her red and blistering hands and smiled a small and pitiful smile.

Alvin could not believe this girl. “You’re an even worse liar than I am, you know that?”

They caught a traveling doctor, who luckily didn’t ask many questions. He said she’d be fine after some bed rest, so they decided to stay in Leronde for another day or two.

But Alvin had trouble sleeping. When he did sleep, he had dreams of smiling and waving as his friends were sent to the gallows, of wallowing in their misery. He woke up in a cold sweat, the guilt eating him alive.

He had to do something. Now.

* * *

 

“Good news, Alvin! I’m all better!”

Leia bounded herself forward with such enthusiasm that she almost ran headfirst into Alvin, skidding to a stop only inches before collision. She noticed very quickly that something was off about his chest area.

“Wait... Alvin, your scarf! It’s gone!”

Alvin stepped back and rubbed the back of his next with his hand, embarrassed. “Yeah, well... I figured everyone would be safer if I just threw it out.”

Leia downcast her eyes for only a second, but Alvin caught it. “Hey,” he said, “Don’t go blaming yourself for something like this. If anything, it’s my fault for not warning you."

“But you loved that thing, didn’t you? And because I was an idiot-”

“Hey.”

“And just when we were finally becoming friends again-”

“Hey!”

Leia flinched, closed her eyes, braced herself, like she was about to be slapped in the face. But the next thing she felt was a warm hand resting on her head, and her breathing slowly went back to normal.

She turned her head upwards, and her eyes met his. “Alvin, what are you doing?”

“There are more important things in life than my stupid scarf.” He looked to the side. Was that a bit of a blush she saw? “Like, you know... friends, and stuff.”

And once Leia felt one chuckle in the back of her throat, she knew that she couldn’t stop herself from breaking out into laughter.

“W-what!?” Alvin said, withdrawing his hand.

“Nothing, it’s just. You can be adorable sometimes, little buddy,” she said with that condescending tone she knew she could get away with. Alvin just grumbled and put his hand on his neck again.

* * *

 

“So. Alvin.”

“Yeah?”

They had been walking back to Leronde together, avoiding monsters and walking slowly.

“I’m taking a job in Elympios soon.”

“Really? What kind of job?”

“That’s- that’s not important!” Leia wasn’t ready to see the look on his face when she told him she was going to be a journalist. You have to prepare for these things, prepare! “Anyways, once I get a GHS, could we trade numbers?”

Alvin smiled. “I think I’d like that.”

They left that day as. Friends. With a promise to keep in touch, and a promise to help Alvin pick out a new non-corrosive scarf.

Alvin could get used to this friendship thing.

**Author's Note:**

> so my friend morgan texted me this headcanon and i started rolling with it. now look where we are. i hope you're happy morgan.  
> technically my first fic bc i don't count the sonic monstrosities i wrote when i was 8


End file.
